Chapter 60: Attention
Friday, April 7th, 4:47 PM
Dungeon Ciara
Rihelah eyed the mantids on Michael’s shoulders and edged away as he approached.
Michael paused and searched Rihelah’s eyes as his hands gently grasped hers. “You already held one, remember? These were made by your professor.”
“I know it’s silly, but… they’re venomous, Michael.”
“Well, they’ll be here when you’re ready.” Michael shrugged.
“Easy for you to say, Mantis Brain. You’re the bug-whisperer,” Rihelah pouted.
“Hah. I think someone else deserves that title more than me. You’ve seen how she wears Nita like an accessory. Siobhán’s fearless.”
Rihelah snorted. “Yeah, she is.”
“Ah, well. At least we got the first twenty-two houses done. That’s crazy fast.” Michael stared at the sturdy row of Elvish, Dwarven, and Fuutsuban dwellings that seemed out of place in the real world.
“Would’ve taken longer if we had to do the plumbing and toilets ourselves.”
[Those were no trouble, Ryebean. Each set only takes a few seconds to put together. Sanitation’s important.]
Rihelah smiled. “Thank you for helping, Professor. The town’s coming back to life.”
Michael scratched his cheek. “The architecture of these homes is crazy. Everything’s so thick and heavy, they’re like bunkers. I wonder what kind of world they came from.”
[I imagine they’re from Sven’s planet, Michael. He said there are hundreds of sapient species there—including many that don’t resemble humans at all.]
“That sounds wild. Do you think we’ll ever get to see Sven’s home?” Rihelah rubbed her chin as she stared at an Elven house.
Michael squeezed Rihelah’s hand. “Heh. Probably not. But after hearing what Rachel’s capable of, do you think more humans will evolve because of magic?”
[As long as we survive whatever’s coming for us, it’s likely our world will experience significant change. Though, it’s impossible to say exactly how that will play out.]
Rihelah stepped forward to run her hand across the massive vertical timber at one corner of an Elven house. “It’s so pretty.”
The sturdy A-frame structure looked like something out of a fairy tale. In plain terms, it was effectively a huge log cabin. But there was a refined elegance to its lines and a shapely, saddle-like curve to its roof. The shingles were thick, living leaves, and its doors grew open and shut from either side with a verbal command, once attuned to the inhabitants.
“They are impressive. These might last hundreds of years, even near the ocean.”
[If I have anything to say about it, they’ll last forever.]
“Hah. Then it’s likely they will,” said Michael.
“Yeah, I love the Elven and Fuutsuban styles. They’re pretty.” Rihelah pulled Michael to her.
“It’s amazing how fast everyone’s gaining classes,” Michael mused.
Rihelah nodded. “Mm. More than half the new arrivals have already awakened.”
[I’m sure you two will get something soon.]
“Yeah.” Rihelah sighed.
[Ah. The Adventurer’s Guild is talking nonsense about taking control of my housing and the fruit orchard.]
“Ugh.” Rihelah shook her head.
“I’m not surprised.” Michael rolled his eyes.
[I’d like you two to set them straight. Tell them all parts of my Dungeon are mine, without exception. That includes the homes I created. People are free to harvest what they can, but if anyone tries to lay claim to any part of my halls or denies access to others in any way, they’ll be made to leave.]
“Okay,” they said in unison.
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[That didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.]
“No kidding. The bears and bulls were a hell of a statement, Professor. How did they even get up here?” asked Rihelah.
[I have ways. The important thing is that those people understand I’m not playing around. No-one must ever claim or hoard any part of my Dungeon under any circumstances. My inner feelings on that are impossible to ignore.]
Rihelah wrinkled her forehead. “Five hundred people pissed themselves when the bears roared and your bulls pawed at the sand. I think they got the message.”
“Even the marines looked uncomfortable,” said Michael.
[Well, that was the only warning they’ll get. We don’t have time for bureaucratic nonsense.]
“It was the business-minded folks who pushed for it. Some of them still look pissed.” Michael rubbed his jaw.
[If anyone presses the issue, they’ll learn the hard way.]
“Have you been working on your fourth floor?” asked Rihelah.
[Not yet. But I’ve been using my increased mana income to expand my minion tunnels to the rest of the city, all the way to Aptos. That should help local ecosystems to regain their health. I also absorbed the city dump west of town.]
“Wow. The whole thing?” Rihelah wrinkled her nose.
[Every bit.]
“You didn’t have to taste it, did you?” Michael’s left eye twitched.
[Heh. No, thankfully.]
“Michael!” Rihelah smacked his shoulder.
Michael shrugged.
“You’re just like your dad.” Rihelah’s mouth tightened, and she failed to stifle a smile.
“Like you don’t already know my sense of humor…” Michael winked.
Rihelah kissed him, then asked, “How much garbage did you collect, Professor?”
[My inventory removes contaminants. More than ninety percent of it vanished soon after it was collected. That said, I have enough resources to take care of my mundane metal and plastic needs for a while.]
Michael quirked an eyebrow. “What made you think of the landfill?”
[Rachel Wallace mentioned it a few days ago.]
“Huh. I’m glad there’s more to her than… you know.” Rihelah folded her arms.
[Ah. Give me a moment, Ryebean. One of Joe’s marines just gained a peculiar ability.]
Rihelah replied, “Okay, Professor.”
Near the lake at the bottom of the second floor, as the last two Palomar tigers rushed the marines from between the trees, one of the women glowed blue.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
She blinked a few times, then thrust her hand toward the last of the big cats as its companion fell and kicked wildly after a barrage of arrows sank into its neck and chest.
The final tiger paused and shook its head, seeming confused as sweat ran down the woman’s face and she wavered on her feet.
How is she doing that?
The motionless cat made for an easy kill when a final hail of arrows from the empowered marines struck home. One pierced its left eye and blew out the back of its skull, spraying its coat with dark blood.
“Corporal Cifuentes,” Joe frowned when the woman didn’t respond and rushed to catch her as she collapsed.
Joe hefted her into a princess carry and said, “Collect the essences and we exfil. Damn fine work, marines. You’re all classed-up.”
Well, that’s concerning. There are abilities that can mesmerize my minions?
The woman was still unconscious as the marines trotted back the way they’d come.
It seemed like it was taxing for her, but if a single person can subdue a half-ton cat and that ability will get stronger over time, I should re-evaluate my defenses.
The population of my nonhuman denizens had exploded over the past few days. Denizens reached such numbers that their frequent deaths as they hunted one another provided almost as much mana as the efforts of my Devilflies, Nemesis crabs, Hellmouth bass, and Capitola krakens combined.
That’s the kind of income I’ve been hoping for. I’d better not delay.
A few finishing touches were made for my third floor, including a private, safe bathing beach that was separate from the main body of water. Per protocol, it included a restroom, fire pit, and picnic tables.
Twenty Dire Widows and Twenty more Devilflies, all with their size and venom maxed out, joined my minion roster. Since these Devilflies were massive relative to my originals, Black Widow fangs were too small. I swapped them out for the sizable Argiope fangs and chelicerae like those on my Dire Widows.
Each new Devilfly and Widow received a Mental augmentation. The spiders were assigned to their own special network of tunnels above the four hallways after my five traps on the third floor.
I added silver, gold, and platinum deposits to the Schwarz bear caves near the end of my third floor. All told, there were twenty silver, fifteen gold, and ten platinum deposits hidden away.
To prep for my boss, I finished a series of channels I’d dug and flooded the bottom half of my third-floor core room with seawater. Then I created a single minion, based on a Giant squid, with translucent flesh and a Stealth augmentation.
With the extra twenty-five percent cost multiplier from its augmentation, the squid cost seventy-five percent of my mana, but I’d timed it just right and avoided a hunger-induced rampage.
[Everyone get ready for a brief disturbance. I’ll probably be yelling again. I’m pulling minions back for a moment while I finish something.]
“Thanks for the warning,” said Joe. “Marines, I want eyes on all sides!”
“I’m glad you warned us this time, Professor,” said Rihelah as she and Michael sought prey for their Shadehunter mantids by the lagoon.
I paused my crabs as usual, along with my krakens, after they had collected sufficient prey.
When all was prepared, I named the squid Ghost.
My mana capacity doubled again, and all my residents glowed slightly.
A single party had pushed past the marines who were still on their way out of my second floor. They managed to fight off and kill two Soybean skunks that rushed them soon after the brief moment while I was enraged.
Nobody was injured, but that group of eight received a thorough shower of anal musk from the skunks, and fled toward the surface. Three left behind pools of vomit, with one young woman retching so hard that she passed out and had to be carried by her fellows.
Ghost became massive after he was named, with a twenty-meter leg span for his eight “normal” legs, two forty-meter tentacles, and a ten-meter mantle. His eyes were larger than basketballs. Because of his size, I enlarged the third-floor core room to sixty meters in diameter, so he’d have places to hide. Afterward, I opened a series of underwater tunnels with alcoves he could retreat to.
I stopped for a moment to admire my new boss, who was near-invisible while beneath the water, with the exception of his enormous eyes. The sharp rings of black teeth that surrounded the suckers of his legs were as large and sharp as those of a housecat. But the teeth on his tentacles were three times that size.
Since my mana capacity had doubled, I created four Deep Horror minions—two males and two females, in pairs. One couple spawned in my tide pools near the harbor, and the other in the depths of my third floor’s subterranean sea. Based on the Giant squid like Ghost, these were a little smaller than my third-floor boss. They received the Physical augmentation
Nodding, I began excavation of my fourth floor by testing my new depth to its limit of 750 meters. After that was confirmed, I set about hollowing out the necessary space to accommodate the fourth-floor plans I’d hatched with my Joybean and Soybean.
Once the humans had all gone to bed, I altered my first floor. I was grateful that the mana cost remained at ten times what it had been, despite the addition of three floors beneath. If that multiplied for every new floor, I’d be unable to make changes or repair any damage in a timely manner. Still, it was more expensive than working on my new floor and that slowed my work.
The domain of rabbits, crickets, and deer was divided down the centerline and received new minions in the form of ten normal cattle—five bulls and five cows.
That should provide plenty of hides and meat since they respawn thirty minutes after death.
The deer and cattle were moved to the northern path that led deeper, while the rabbits and crickets were moved south, to a large, dead-end meadow for novice delvers.
I increased the lighting in the lower-difficulty wing and peppered both areas with fruit trees. To finish that area up, I added more restrooms and several extra toilet stalls since queues had become commonplace. As a former woman, I was all too familiar with the agony of waiting half an hour or longer when you had to pee now.
Since I had bathrooms on the brain, I fashioned some near the mining cavern and the crafting workshops.
Seagulls had taken to roosting inside the mining tunnel near the beach, so I expanded that to accommodate the birds to either side.
I had no use for my Dungeon’s original spike trap, so I dismantled that. I was relieved when the trap slot opened back up.
Squeaking in my original core room alerted me to Mocha’s second litter of mouse pups. She was still cleaning her newborns when Turd grasped her from behind and started work to provide Mocha with a third litter.
Good grief… give your girl a moment to recover from childbirth before you stick her again, you insatiable little Turd!
Turd glanced quizzically in my core’s direction but didn’t slow what he was doing. For her part, Mocha didn’t seem to mind.
Still… His name fits.
After the morning fog lifted, I beheld a massive flotilla of warships approaching the Santa Cruz Wharf.
[Mike, do you recognize those ships?]
“What are you talking ab—holy hog-nasties, that’s a carrier battle group!” Mike stopped what he was doing and started shouting for people to prepare for the military to arrive. This time, Mike seemed to think they were here to stay.
I relayed the information to Joe. He and his marines turned and ran for the Dungeon exit much faster than usual.
As the ships sailed closer, a series of helicopters took off from several ships and headed straight for Twin Lakes Beach.
By the time the first of those touched down, another group of helicopters, much more numerous than those that had brought Colonel Hart, approached from over the mountains to the east.
A group of much smaller boats also headed toward Twin Lakes from between some of the mid-sized vessels.
After the second group of helicopters touched down—half of which landed on Seabright beach because there were too many for Twin Lakes, Colonel Hart stepped out near the Crow’s Nest.
Mike approached and saluted as Joe and his marines arrived and did the same.
“Elliott. Schimpf. I need you to—why are my marines carrying bows and axes?”
“Sir, all marines left in the Dungeon’s care have awakened, sir,” said Mike.
“Yes, I see they’re awake, Elliott. Have them retrieve their firearms. We’ve got serious shit on our hands. Schimpf, go with them. Elliott, remain here.”
“Sir!” Mike turned smartly to face the eighteen enlisted who’d trained with Joe. “Retrieve all weapons and load-bearing-equipment from the castle. I want you all back here in five, now move those asses.”
“Aye, Master Guns!” Joe and the other marines shouted in unison before running fast enough to make Colonel Hart stare after them.
Hart raised an eyebrow. “Elliott, you didn’t say… did they all get stronger, as planned?”
“Sir, the enlisted who were left in our care have awakened. That’s the term people are using for all who have acquired magical strength from this place, sir,” said Mike.
Colonel Hart smirked. “At-ease. What are those new buildings, and how in the hell did they go up so quickly?”
Mike replied, “Sir, those are new houses—in a style from another world. We’ve been training the people here, and most have awakened already.”
“Those places furnished and ready to live in?” asked Hart.
“They are, sir,” said Mike.
Hart cocked his head. “Well, it’s a damn good thing these people can build so fast, because we’ve all got a fuck-ton of work ahead of us.”
“What’s the occasion, sir?” asked Mike.
The Colonel locked eyes with Mike. “A VIP will arrive in two days, along with several hundred other officials. Other big news that won't come as a surprise--the President’s instituted the draft. I need those awakened marines and every other able-bodied person who isn’t busy playing nanny to assist with the construction of permanent lodgings.”
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Floors: 4
Minions: 371/480
Residents: 12/18
Denizens: 416119
Traps: 10/20